On March 31, popular WTAE newscaster Wendy Bell was fired after 19 years at the station. Being almost a Pittsburgh icon with 21 Emmys, Bell’s partnership with the station was cut due to a Facebook post she made on her Facebook account regarding an ongoing police investigation in Wilkinsburg where five adults and one unborn baby were murdered.

Her post stated that the two suspected shooters were most likely young black men who “have multiple siblings from multiple fathers and their mothers work multiple jobs.” Currently, three people are being questioned while one person is being considered a suspect.

Comments soon began to flood the post stating that Bell was racist for the way she approached the situation, some even saying that she had no right to be commenting on the issue at hand. Bell later edited the post and apologized for the fact that her post had been “insensitive and could be viewed as racist.”
Soon after WTAE aired an editorial where they claimed that Bell’s statements did not reflect the station’s and that “Wendy is sorry for her words she chose, and so are we.”

What can others learn from this story in a world that is surrounded by social media? You see it everywhere. Hashtags on the bottom right hand screen during a television show, or “follow us on Twitter” on the front of this very newspaper. Is social media the real enemy or is it how people use the platform?

The answer is both.
Social media sites, such as Facebook, are used to connect people all throughout the world. It’s a way to catch up on your high school friend’s life while also talking about how your day at work was. This is what one would call a personal Facebook account, where anyone can see everything that relates to their life, both past and present.

What Bell used to post her opinion was her account labeled “Wendy Bell WTAE.” This account is not a personal account, but rather a professional one. By having the WTAE label attached, Bell’s posts on the page were a reflection of the station itself, not herself.

This is where I believe her firing was justified. As a journalist, your job is to report facts without giving a personal opinion. Bell did the complete opposite and was fired for stating what was, at the time, on her mind.

But what does this mean to the average middle aged man on Facebook reconnecting with his high school friends? Or the teen girl on Twitter tweeting about who was kicked off of the Bachelor? How about the middle school student posting selfies on Instagram from their iPod Touch?

If you are going to post something on a social media site, think first, post later. If it can offend even the smallest group of people, it has offended everyone.
There is no one anxiously waiting for your opinionated Facebook post, even if you are Wendy Bell.